Simplify the following expression: $k = \dfrac{x^2 - 4x + 3}{x - 3} $
Explanation: First factor the polynomial in the numerator. $ x^2 - 4x + 3 = (x - 3)(x - 1) $ So we can rewrite the expression as: $k = \dfrac{(x - 3)(x - 1)}{x - 3} $ We can divide the numerator and denominator by $(x - 3)$ on condition that $x \neq 3$ Therefore $k = x - 1; x \neq 3$